The present invention relates to a carton for food products and a blank for such a carton.
In particular in the field of the food industry, various requirements are to be met by cartons in which a plurality of products, for example chocolate or confectionery products, are to be packaged. On the one hand, the products, which are of comparably small size, must be housed safely in a suitable package, for example a carton. On the other hand, when one or more of the food products is to be consumed, it is desirable to use a carton which can not only be opened easily, but which also provides easy access to the food products contained therein. In some cases, the carton should furthermore be reclosable.
Numerous cartons for accommodating a plurality of food products are known in the art and available on the market. Some of the known cartons present a side face, which can be opened so as to allow the removal of one or more of the food products contained in the carton. Other cartons comprise lids formed by their top face which can be separated from the remainder of the carton so that an opening is formed.
In view of the known cartons for accommodating a plurality of food products, it is an object underlying the invention to provide a carton that can be opened easily and allows presentation of the food products contained therein in a novel, advantageous manner. Furthermore, a carton blank for the manufacture of such a carton is to be provided.
This object is solved by the carton according to the claims.
In accordance with the invention, the carton generally comprises a bottom, a top, and four side faces. On each of two first, opposite side faces at least a portion thereof is foldable about a generally horizontal fold line. It is to be understood that the first side faces can, as a whole, be foldable about such a horizontal fold line. In particular, this fold line can be formed at the edge between each of the first side faces and the bottom face. In order to allow easy folding of the entire first side faces (or portions thereof) in an outward direction, the foldable portions-or the side faces as such-are loose with regard to the other, second opposite side faces. If each of the first side faces is entirely foldable in an outward direction, the first side faces must be loose with regard to the second side faces. However, if merely certain portions of each of the first side faces are formed foldable, these portions must be arranged loosely with regard to the remainder of the first side faces, or separable therefrom. Naturally, each of the first side faces in its entirety can also be formed separable from the second side faces if it is desired to allow outward folding of the entire first side faces.
On at least the top face two dividing lines are formed, which on the one hand define two outer wall portions, said outer wall portions being foldable in connection with the foldable portion of the first side faces. In other words, the described outer wall portions of the top face cooperate with the first side faces or portions thereof in generating a largely (in a sectional view) L-shaped flap. Such a flap is formed between each of the dividing lines formed on the top face and the respective first side face. After breaking the dividing lines in order to open the inventive carton, these flaps can be folded outwards so as to present a comparably large opening of the inventive carton at the top face thereof. After opening and outwardly folding the flaps, the outwardly folded flaps will also accommodate the food products so as to provide a large area in which the food products contained in the carton can be dispersed.
Finally, the dividing lines formed on the top face of the inventive carton define an inner wall portion, which is located between the dividing lines and which forms a handle when the dividing lines are broken and the resulting flaps are folded outwards. In particular, the handle formed between the dividing lines of the top face can be seen as the handle of a basket, which is formed by the inventive carton when the dividing lines are broken and the flaps are folded outwards so as to present the contents of the carton to the consumer. The so-called sharing basket formed by the inventive carton constitutes in its opened state a nice and novel way to display food products such as sugar and chocolate confectionery, and it enables a number of consumers to take the food products from the so-called basket. At the same time, as long as the carton is closed and the dividing lines formed on the top face of the carton are not broken, the invention provides a carton which enables safe shipping and handling of a number of food products.
Preferred embodiments of the inventive carton are described in the dependent claims.
The dividing lines formed on the top face can extend across only a portion of the top face, but could also extend over a portion of the second side faces so that a portion of the second side faces can also be folded outwards together with the so-called outer wall portions of the top face. However, it is currently preferred to form the dividing lines such that they extend across the top face and at the edges between the top face and the second side faces. In other words, the outer wall portions of the top face, which can be folded outwards together with the first side faces, extend all across the top face. Accordingly, the remaining strip forming the handle of the resulting basket will also extend over the entire top face.
With regard to design aspects, it has been found advantageous to form the dividing lines such that they extend across the top face in a zigzag manner. In particular, the zigzag pattern has been found advantageous to correspond to the design of the top face, for example by delimiting portions which are colored differently from each other. Furthermore, a zigzag pattern of the dividing lines may help the consumer to find the dividing lines when the inventive carton is to be opened.
Preferably the first side faces comprise beveled wall portions in their lateral regions. In other words, the first side faces are formed so as to extend in a beveled way towards the second side faces. In this way, the basket, which is constituted by the open carton, can accommodate numerous food products in a very reliable manner. This is due to the fact that the beveled portions of the first side faces will extend in an upward direction from the first side faces, when these are folded outwards. Thus, the beveled wall portions form upwardly sloping side walls, and the outwardly folded first side faces are a part of the bottom of the basket. In other words, in the opened state of the inventive carton, when the so-called sharing basket is formed, the food products contained in the basket are kept within the basket by the cooperation of the second side faces, the beveled portions of the first side faces, as well as the so-called outer portions of the top face of the carton, which are folded outwards so as to form side walls.
With regard to the connection between the above-described beveled wall portions and the bottom and the top faces of the inventive carton, it has been found advantageous to form two fold lines (these being foldable in opposite directions) and a generally triangle shaped wall portion between the beveled wall portion and the bottom as well as the top face. In this manner, easy unfolding of the first side faces including their beveled wall portions in order to form the so-called basket is achieved.
In this case, it is further preferred that the described triangle shaped wall portions are bonded to the top face of the inventive carton, whereas they are loose with regard to the bottom face. As mentioned, this configuration allows easy unfolding of the first side faces with regard to the second side faces as well as the bottom face, whereas the beveled wall portions are safely bonded to the outer wall portions of the top face so as to form side wall portions of the so-called basket, said side wall portions reliably keeping the food products within the basket.
The abovedescribed object underlying the invention is, on the other hand, solved by a carton blank as described in the claims.
In a manner corresponding to the carton, which is to be manufactured from the carton blank, the inventive carton blank comprises a top face portion, two first side face portions, two second side face portions, and a bottom face portion. Furthermore, at least a portion of each of the first side face portions is foldable about a fold line, which is usually arranged horizontally on the completed carton. Two dividing lines are formed on at least the top face portion so as to define, on the one hand, two outer wall portions connected with the foldable portions of the first side face portions, and, on the other hand, an inner wall portion between the dividing lines which will constitute a handle formed on the open carton so that a basket is formed.
Preferred embodiments of the inventive carton blank are defined in the further claims.
In line with the preferred embodiment of the inventive carton, it is preferred that the dividing lines extend across the top face portion and at the edges between the top face portion and the second side face portions.
In order to enable the manufacture of a carton with a nice outer appearance, it is preferred to form the dividing line in a zigzag manner on the top face portion.
In order to form beveled wall portions on the first side faces of the completed carton, it is preferred with regard to the carton blank to form wall portions of the first side face portions, which are foldable about fold lines running perpendicular to the lines between the first side face portions and the bottom and top face portions.
For a proper unfolding of the completed carton, it has been found advantageous to form triangle shaped wall portions between the lateral, foldable portions of the first side face portions and the bottom face portion. The triangle shaped wall portions are delimited by fold lines, which are foldable in opposite directions. With this construction, the inventive carton can be formed to permit easy unfolding so as to form the so-called basket and simultaneously connect the first side faces with the outer wall portions of the top face, such that the food products are reliably kept inside the basket.